Danny Roberts Issues Statement On UFC Fight Night London Defeat

Danny Roberts competed on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night London, suffering a controversial third round submission loss to Claudio Silva.

The fighter, who claimed that he didn’t tap while in the arm bar, has issued a statement on the matter through Instagram:

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First things first, I would like to get one thing very clear: I did not submit, verbally or otherwise (play the fight/audio back). If I wanted to submit or tap out, I would have used my right hand -which was completely free at the time the referee ended the fight- to do so. With every fight that I go into, I give my all. I make sacrifices. And I dedicate myself to the sport. The fans have seen that time after time, once I get into the octagon, I’m committed to continuing until the very end and giving the fans what they deserve. On Saturday, that opportunity was snatched from me and the fans. I can understand that the referee may not appreciate the fact that if I ‘lose’ I get half of my money. I understand that the referee may not appreciate that I have a young family to take care of and provide for. I also understand that the referee may not appreciate, or even care, that I am trying to build something that is bigger than myself, a legacy. But what I can’t understand is how the referee made such a bad call? The @UFC is the top promotion in the world, I am a top-class athlete and, for me, it is only right that the standard of refereeing should be the same and I’m thankful for @danawhite’s comments on this situation. ‘No contest’ has been floated about but I want to avenge Saturday night properly and the only way to do that is by getting a rematch AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This is more than fighting. This is my life and there are no tap outs. All due respect to Claudio but I’m ready to go again right now ----------#UFC #UFCLondon #TeamChocolate #HK365 #MMA #London #Liverpool

A post shared by Danny Roberts (@danhotchocolate) on Mar 18, 2019 at 11:50am PDT

Silva would say that Roberts tapped twice in the fight ending arm bar, which is something Roberts disputes in the above statement.

Roberts has requested a rematch against Silva, but that request has yet to be answered by the victorious fighter.